Foxcroft School Only School in Virginia to Earn AP CSA and AP CSP Female Diversity Awards

MIDDLEBURG, VA — Foxcroft School is the lone school in Virginia and one of only 68 worldwide to earn the prestigious College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in both AP Computer Science A (AP CSA) and AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) courses during the 2022-23 academic year.

“Foxcroft continues to lead the way in STEM education for girls,” said Head of School Cathy S. McGehee. “We encourage our students to take computer science. The technology field is one where women continue to be underrepresented, and efforts such as ours can make a difference. Congratulations to our AP Computer Science students and their outstanding teachers.”

This is the third time Foxcroft has received both the AP CSA and AP CSP Female Diversity Awards and the fifth time it has received the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. The prior awards were for both categories for the 2021-22 and 2019-20 academic years, AP CSA during the 2018-19 academic year, and AP CSP for the 2017-18 academic year.

“Our students’ broad participation in computer science has helped grow other programs at Foxcroft, including esports, the FIRST Tech Robotics Challenge, and several computer science-focused concentration projects,” shared Innovation Lab Director (and AP CSP teacher) Alex Northrup.

The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $100,530 in May 2022. However, women represent just 24% of the 5 million people in computing occupations. Providing female students with access to computer science courses is necessary to ensure gender parity in the industry’s high-paying jobs and to drive innovation, creativity, and representation.

Research from the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) shows that attending an all-girls school strengthens interest and success in STEM fields. Specifically, in math and computer skills, girls’ school graduates rate confidence in their abilities at least 10% higher than their coeducated counterparts.

According to a Google study, 54% of female computer science majors took AP CSA in high school. College Board research also finds AP CSP students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP CSA and that for most students, AP CSP serves as a stepping stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.

Photos courtesy of Foxcroft School.

Posted on: February 1, 2024